Commitment

 

John Claypool shares this story in “Leadership” Vol. 12, No.1 – “Winston Churchill had planned his funeral, which took place in St. Paul’s Cathedral. He included many of the great hymns of the Catholic church and used the eloquent Anglican liturgy. At his direction, a bugler, positioned high in the dome of St, Paul’s, intoned, after the benediction, the sound of ‘Taps’ – the universal signal that says the day is over. But then came the most dramatic turn. As Churchill instructed, as soon as ‘Taps’ was finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played the notes of ‘Reveille.’ ‘It’s time to get up; It’s time to get up; It’s time to get up in the morning.’ That was Churchill’s testimony that at the end of history, the last note will not be ‘Taps,’ it will be ‘Reveille’.”

Death surrounds us, we cannot escape it and we can’t escape constantly hearing about it. Turn on any TV news program and the lead story will almost always be about some violent death. Pick up any newspaper and usually somewhere on the front page will be a story that deals with someone’s death. Some are uncomfortable with this constant reminder of our mortality. Death is something we will all face someday. No matter how religious one is; no matter how good one is; someday all will face death and face the maker of all things. How do you view death? How have you prepared for this eventuality? Do you face our mortality with confidence or fear?

[1 Thessalonians 4:13-18] Churchill’s understanding is straight from the scriptures. Paul’s writing is encouraging concerning death. The key to these verses is found in the first verse, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” The word ‘brethren’ directs Paul’s address to ‘Christians” in Thessalonica. “Christian” is a descriptive word that is given to those who are obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. For those who serve God it is not a matter of life or death, it’s a matter of life and continuing life in a new location. Maybe it’s time to consider if you are ready for that day. Eternal life with God or eternal suffering in hell.

Commitment is the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself. It is regarded as a pledge or a promise. When we became Christians, we committed ourselves to take up our cross and follow Christ daily. This commitment is for a lifetime. In Christianity there is no such thing as a temporary commitment or a partial commitment.

When the pilot of a giant airliner is speeding down the runway, there is a certain point where he cannot decide to remain on the ground. When he crosses that line, he has to commit to the air. If he doesn’t, the plane will run out of runway and crash disastrously. That pilot cannot change his mind when the plane is two-thirds of the way down the runway. He must make his decision from the beginning and stay with it to become airborne.

Many members of the church have obeyed the gospel, leaving the old man of sin; but they seem to sit at the beginning of the runway revving their engines – but never moving. They have been saved but have never gotten engaged in their faith. Christianity is not a spectator sport Everyone must compete against an enemy who is out to get their soul (Ephesians 6:10-13; 1 Peter 5:8). This is not a competition where winning or losing does not matter. It is a competition with eternal consequences. “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Our faith in Christ is a commitment with no end. Let’s not spend our time gunning our engines on the runway. Let’s take off!

Fathers Day

 

·         My dad used to carry around a frayed knot in his pocket just an old tied up piece of rope. Then any time someone asked him something and the answer was, “no", he would just pull out the frayed knot and say, “fraid not!” and he would burst out laughing. Nobody else thought it was funny.

·         Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow.

·         Dear Dad, $chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can’t think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you. Love, Your $on

Dear Son, I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh. Love, Dad

When Peter was 16, he finally got his driver's license. To celebrate the special day, the whole family went out to the driveway and climbed into the car to enjoy his first official drive. However, dad went to the back seat, where he sat right behind his boy. When Peter saw his dad he said, "Dad, you must be fed up with the front seat after teaching me how to drive all these days, right?” "Nope!", came the quick reply from the dad. "I'm going to sit back here and kick the back of your seat while you drive, just like you've been doing to me for the last sixteen years!"

Father’s Day Perspective by Brandon Britton

Father's Day - what does it mean to you? Its meaning has changed for me over the years. When I was young it was a day to wear a red rose to church. It was a day to say, "Thanks Dad for all the things you do." Later, when I became a dad, it took on a deeper meaning as I began to realize all the responsibilities that go with the title. Now, being a father and a grandfather, it takes on a special meaning. I look back at the memory of my own father with warm thoughts and understand him better.

I look to the future by looking in the eyes of my son. I see the strength of young manhood and hope and pray that I have been, and am being, the kind of example he needs to see and know what being a Christian father is all about. I look into the eyes of my grandson and see the wonder of new things as he learns to explore his world in which there are new discoveries every day. Again, I hope and pray that I am being the example that he needs to see and to know what being a Christian grandfather is all about.

Father's Day is a wonderful day to stop and reflect on being a father. It is a time to think of the great privilege that God has granted men to become fathers, and to help shape and mold a young mind and soul. It is a time to think that with this privilege comes great responsibilities, as the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:4, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition the Lord.”

Fathers, notice there are two parts to this verse. One is a negative, "do not provoke.” This provoking is done by making too many demands, undue severity when disciplining our children. The other part is a positive, "bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." This requires instruction, spiritual and moral nurture as well as physical (Matthew 4:4). As the children grow older, then we need to give them admonition, that reasoning for which they should or should not do certain things (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Fathers, there will be no greater reward than getting to heaven and being surrounded by our families!

Flag Day

 

In May of every year, Australians submit themselves to a national experience of repentance. Sounds unusual, but it’s true. First, there’s National Sorry Day (this year it’s May 26), which is followed by National Reconciliation Week, which this year is May 27-June 3. According to one source, National Sorry Day, also known as National Day of Healing, is “an annual event that has been held in Australia on May 26 since 1998, to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country’s indigenous peoples, as part of an ongoing process of reconciliation between the indigenous peoples and the settler population.” The week of reconciliation which follows is intended “to celebrate the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, and foster reconciliation, discussion and activities.” This is a great idea, and I wish the United States had such a week-long period of national repentance. We have so much of which to repent; slavery, the treatment of Native Americans and ongoing racism for starters. I know there are some who may disagree about the need to do this at a national level, but I believe it would be a good thing. But, having a pastoral heart as I do, I also think it would be good for every church in America to have a Sorry Sunday, and a Week of Reconciliation. Sorry Sunday would be a day in which we fervently repent for our sins on a personal level. We draw up plans to make amends. We approach those whom we have wronged. We make right the wrongs we have committed. Perhaps Lent would be a good time to designate one Sunday as Sorry Sunday. This could be followed by a church-wide Week of Reconciliation. Devotional messages, reconciling activities, worship and prayer, vesper services, and more. Such a week could be a time of renewal and a refreshing of the Holy Spirit in the church. But what about us? Perhaps we should think about having a Sorry Day once a month or once a week. But only if we find it hard to say, “I’m sorry,” and offer an apology. We don’t need a special Sorry Day, do we, if we already make it a habit to correct an injustice when it is done, or to apologize when a harsh word is uttered, or to offer the hand of friendship to the friendless? Let’s not forget how to say, “I’m sorry,” and let’s not forget how to swallow our pride and make things right when things go wrong. —Timothy Merrill

[Isaiah 9:6-7] “…Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end…” The government of the United States and its Constitution were established under the ideals and morals of God’s Word. Flag Day marks the anniversary of the official adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777. Unfortunately, flags have become like magazines and web sites – everybody’s got one. The U.S. flag has been given a back seat to many of them as its history fades in ignorance along with our public Pledge of Allegiance because it contains the phrase, “…under God…” On June 14, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill to insert the phrase “under God” into the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance that children recited every morning in school. American’s lived by the morals of God Almighty every day.

While searching through my references I came across an Editorial in our local newspaper, the Wilson County News, of October 5, 2005. A political cartoon was exhibiting the thoughts of the time.                                                                                                                                                           

The State of Texas was “defending the Pledge as an entirely Constitutional acknowledgement of God and our heritage.” God save America. Our only hope and stay. 

Lift Your Cross and Follow Me

 

A Maine potato farmer and a Texas Rancher were engaged in conversation at a political rally. The man from the Lone Star State asked, “How much land do you tend?” The Mainer replied, “About a hundred acres.” “I manage about a thousand myself” said the Texan in a slow drawl. The man from Maine was not overly impressed, so the Texan continued, “I know where there’s a much bigger ranch south of San Antonio. To give you an idea of its size, the owner can start off in the morning in his pick-up, and he ain’t barely crossed his place by noon.” The man from Maine said, “Yup, I had a truck like that once.”

Life is full of ups and downs. If we made a list of all of the positive things in our life, all of the blessings, that list would almost certainly far exceed a similar list of all of the negative things in our life. Despite that fact, we tend to focus more on the downs than on the ups, more on the negatives than on the positives. It would be a good exercise in self-examination to try to figure out why this is the case. One fundamental reason for being so consumed with the difficulties, challenges and troubles of life is the mindset that we carry into life on a daily basis. Our mindset can be understood as the lenses through which we look at life. It is the general framework of how we view life, of what happens to us and around us. If our mindset tends toward the negative, then we will naturally see life from a more negative perspective. Our mindset is of our own making. It is the result of how we set our mind. We make the choice as to how we will take on the day. The most productive mindset is one that is guided by godliness.

[Colossians 3:2] The apostle Paul advised: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” A faithful Christian knows who he is, what he is, and where he is going. As a result, he sees life from a different perspective than most people. He recognizes that this world, and all that goes on herein, is temporary. The faithful Christian is looking, ultimately, to eternity. He can stay basically positive even in the face of seemingly negative circumstances. An instructive, and comforting, passage of scripture along this line reads as follows: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This verse does not say that all things that happen are necessarily good. It says that the faithful Christian, “those who love God...who are the called according to His purpose,” can face each day with the expectation that God can cause good to come from even the bad things that happen to them in life. Such a mindset enables a faithful Christian to see life, even with its difficulties, challenges, and troubles, through lenses of hope, expectation, and assurance rather than of hopelessness, despair, and depression. The faithful Christian’s mindset enables him to enjoy life more abundantly (John 10:10) and far less superficially than a person who can’t see past the matters of this world.

“…I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me…” This is a portion of the words to the song “Follow Me” by Ira F. Stanphill. The song continues where Jesus replies and tells how heavy the cross was to bear and says, “Be faithful… Just lift your cross and follow close to Me.”

What is your mindset? What do you do when things go bad? Trust God to watch over and care for you, whatever may come (Matthew 6:33-34). Your Heavenly Father sent His Son to be your Savior. Through Him you can find abiding peace to see you through the trials and troubles of this life (Philippians 4:4-7). Through Him you will be able to do all things that truly need to be done (Philippians 4:11-13). Be always mindful of eternity.

His Power Is All In Your Mind

 

The newly constructed tracks of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railways were first linked at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869. In celebration, Leland Stanford, the president of Central Pacific, drove a golden spike symbolically completing the job. On his first swing, he missed the spike, drawing gales of laughter from the experienced railroad workers looking on. This misfire was embarrassing, but ultimately harmless. But when it comes to moral issues, a swing and a miss can be deadly. Sin is “missing the mark” that God has set for us, and it is no laughing matter!

[Job 1:4-5] “And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did regularly.” Did you catch that? Job was as concerned about the things that might have been done wrong as much as what was done wrong. Job wasn’t just counting up to what he had to offer to cover up his and his son's sins. He wanted to be extra careful to make sure that nothing could have been done that might have been against the Lord.

Sometimes as humans, we tend to give more credit to our enemies than they actually deserve. I know that in my personal life, I struggle with making Satan much more powerful than he already is. Sometimes we tend to think of Satan as an all-powerful being, when in reality - he isn’t. This is demonstrated in the book of Job several times when we see Satan going to God and having to ask His permission to be able to get to Job. Not only was he forced to ask for authority, but he was still limited to what he could and couldn’t do.

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’ So, Satan departed from the presence of the Lord” (Job 1:12). We see that Satan cannot do anything that God doesn’t want him to do. This shows that he is not omnipotent, and certainly not more powerful than God. We can also see from Job chapter one that Satan is not omnipresent. “The Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.’” (Job 1:7). We see here that Satan cannot be everywhere at once. We also see in all of this that Satan still answers to God. Satan and God are not on the same level when it comes to power. It isn’t like in the movies where the “gods” are all powerful and there is a constant battle between them. God has Satan in his place, and Satan couldn’t overstep the power God has given him, as he always wants to.

What a Christian can take from this is that we shouldn’t give more credit to Satan than he is worth. Yes, he is an enemy, and a powerful one, but we shouldn’t give him more power in our heads than he has. We should take comfort in this, remembering that we serve an all - powerful God who Satan has no control or chance against. God is in control, and that is how it will remain.

“I beg of you, my dear brother, to live among these books [Scriptures], to meditate upon them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else.” – Jerome

“The Word of God and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select just a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” – A.W. Tozier

“Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).